Gary James Player
DMS,
OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine
major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the
Champions Tour
PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour.
History and format
The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...
.
At the age of 29, Player won the
1965 U.S. Open and became the only non-American to win all four majors in a career, known as the
career Grand Slam. At the time, he was the youngest player to do this, though
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
(26) and
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records.
*
*
* Woods is widely regarded as ...
(24) subsequently broke this record. Player became only the third golfer in history to win the Career Grand Slam, following
Ben Hogan and
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (along ...
, and only Nicklaus and Woods have performed the feat since. He won over 150 professional tournaments on six continents over seven decades and was inducted into the
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 g ...
in 1974.
Nicknamed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, he is also a renowned
golf course architect with more than 400 design projects on five continents throughout the world.
Player has also authored or co-written 36 books on golf instruction, design, philosophy, motivation and fitness.
The Player Group operates The Player Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivileged education around the world. In 1983, The Player Foundation established the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for more than 500 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2013 it celebrated its 30th anniversary with charity golf events in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Palm Beach,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
and
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...
, bringing its total of funds raised to over US$60 million.
On 7 January 2021, Player was awarded, and accepted, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
by
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
.
Background and family
Player was born in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
, South Africa, the youngest of Harry and Muriel Player's three children. When he was eight years old his mother died from cancer. Although his father was often away from home working in the gold mines, he did manage to take a loan in order to buy a set of clubs for Gary to begin playing golf. The Virginia Park golf course in Johannesburg is where Player first began his love affair with golf. At the age of 14, Player played his first round of golf and parred the first three holes. At age 16, he announced that he would become number one in the world. At age 17, he became a professional golfer.
Player married wife Vivienne Verwey (sister of professional golfer
Bobby Verwey) on 19 January 1957, four years after turning professional. Together they had six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa, and Amanda. He also has 22 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. During the early days of his career Player would travel from tournament to tournament with his wife, six children, their nanny and a tutor in tow. Vivienne died of cancer in August 2021.
Player's eldest son, Marc, owns and operates The Player Group, which exclusively represents Player in all his commercial activities, including all endorsements, licensing, merchandising, golf course design, and real estate development.
Player is the brother of
Ian Player, a South African environmental educator, activist and conservationist.
Playing career
Player is one of the most successful golfers in history, tied for fourth in
major championship victories with
nine
9 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
9 or nine may also refer to:
Dates
* AD 9, the ninth year of the AD era
* 9 BC, the ninth year before the AD era
* 9, numerical symbol for the month of September
Places
* Nine, Portugal, a parish in the ...
. Along with
Arnold Palmer and
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
he is often referred to as one of "The Big Three" golfers of his era – from the late 1950s through the late 1970s – when golf boomed in the United States and around the world and was greatly encouraged by expanded television coverage. Along with
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (along ...
,
Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records.
*
*
* Woods is widely regarded as ...
, he is one of only five players to win golf's "
career Grand Slam". He completed the Grand Slam in 1965 at the age of twenty-nine. Player was the second multiple majors winner from South Africa, following
Bobby Locke, then was followed by
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest Els (; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former , he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands ) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his more than 70 career victor ...
, and
Retief Goosen.
Player competed regularly on the U.S. based
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
from the late 1950s. He led the Tour money list in 1961, and went on to accumulate 24 career Tour titles. He also played an exceptionally busy schedule all over the world, and he has been called the world's most traveled athlete. Player has logged more than in air travel – in 2005 it was estimated that he had "probably flown further…than any athlete in history".
He has more victories than anyone else in the
South African Open (13) and the
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. ...
(7). He held the record for most victories in the
World Match Play Championship, with five wins, from 1973 until 1991 when this feat was equalled by
Seve Ballesteros, finally losing his share of the record in 2004, when Ernie Els won the event for the sixth time. Player was in the top ten of
Mark McCormack's world golf rankings from their inception in 1968 until 1981; he was ranked second in 1969, 1970 and 1972, each time to
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
.
He was the only player in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades. His first win, as a 23-year-old in 1959 at
Muirfield
Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for Th ...
, came after he double-bogeyed the last hole. In 1974, he became one of the few golfers in history to win two major championships in the same season. Player last won the
Masters in 1978, when he started seven strokes behind 54-hole leader
Hubert Green entering the final round, and won by one shot with birdies at seven of the last 10 holes for a back nine 30 and a final round 64. One week later, Player again came from seven strokes back in the final round to win the
Tournament of Champions. In 1984, at the age of 48 Player nearly became the oldest ever major champion, finishing in second place behind
Lee Trevino
Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and 2 ...
at the PGA Championship. And in gusty winds at the 1998 Masters, he became the oldest golfer ever to make the cut, breaking the 25-year-old record set by Sam Snead. Player credited this feat to his dedication to the concept of diet, health, practice and golf fitness.
Player has occasionally been accused of cheating, particularly in the 1974 Open; he has strongly denied the accusations. Later, at a skins game in Arizona in 1983,
Tom Watson accused him of cheating by moving a leaf from behind his ball.
Being South African, Player never played in the
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named af ...
in which American and European golfers compete against each other. Regarding the event, Player remarked, "The things I have seen in the Ryder Cup have disappointed me. You are hearing about hatred and war." He was no longer an eligible player when the
Presidents Cup was established to give international players the opportunity to compete in a similar event, but he was non-playing captain of the International Team for the
Presidents Cup in 2003, which was held on a course he designed, The Links at Fancourt, in George, South Africa. After 2003 ended in a tie, he was reappointed as captain for the 2005 Presidents Cup, and his team lost to the Americans 15.5 to 18.5. Both Player and Jack Nicklaus were appointed to captain their respective teams again in 2007 in Canada; the United States won.
Augusta National green jacket
The green jacket is reserved for Augusta National members and golfers who win the
Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first ma ...
. Jackets are kept on club grounds, and taking them off the premises is forbidden. The exception is for the winner, who can take it home and return it to the club the following year. Player, who became the tournament's first international winner in 1961, said he did not know that. After winning, he packed the jacket and took it to his home in South Africa. That led to a call from club Chairman Clifford Roberts, who was a stickler for rules. "I didn't know you were supposed to leave it there," Player said. "Next thing you know, there was a call from Mr. Roberts."
Legacy
In 2000, Player was voted "Sportsman of the Century" in South Africa. In 1966, he was awarded the
Bob Jones Award, the highest honour given by the
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...
in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He was inducted into the
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 g ...
in 1974. The "Gary Player – A Global Journey" exhibition was launched by the Hall of Fame as of March 2006.
In 2000, ''
Golf Digest
''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit under its Warner Bros. Discovery Golf division. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's compet ...
'' magazine ranked Player as the eighth greatest golfer of all time.
In 2002, Player was voted as the second greatest global golfer of all time by a panel of international media, golf magazines and fellow professionals conducted by the leading Golf Asia Magazine.
On 10 April 2009, he played for the last time in the Masters, where he was playing for his record 52nd time – every year since 1957 except for 1973, when he was recovering from surgery. After Nicklaus and Palmer, he was the last of the Big Three to retire from this tournament, which is a testament to his longevity.
At age 73 on 23 July 2009, Player competed in the
Senior British Open Championship at
Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, located approximately west-southwest of London.
Sunningdale Golf Club was founded in 1900 and has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, designed by Willie Pa ...
, 53 years after capturing his maiden European Tour victory at the Berkshire venue.
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...
and the Masters announced on 5 July 2011 that Player had been invited to join
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tou ...
and
Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter. The Big Three were reunited in this capacity starting with the 2012 tournament.
In July 2013, he became the oldest athlete ever to pose nude in ''
ESPN The Magazine
''ESPN The Magazine'' was an American monthly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998. Initially published every other week, it scaled back to 24 issues a year ...
s annual Body Issue to inspire people to keep looking after themselves throughout their lives whatever their age.
Business and other interests
Gary Player's business interests are exclusively represented by Black Knight International, which includes Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, The Player Foundation, Gary Player Academies, and Black Knight Enterprises, aspects of which include licensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia.
The Player Group, which operates The Player Foundation, is owned and managed by Marc Player.
The Player Foundation
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player and began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa. The Player Foundation has since blossomed into an organisation that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated over $65 million to the support of children's charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
The foundation is primarily funded by donations, grants and the four Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International and staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa annually. The Gary Player Invitational is a pro-am tournament that pairs celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and other local participants. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever-expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach and the Masizame Children's Shelter in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa.
Proceeds from the Gary Player Invitational have also been donated to the
Lord's Taverners
The Lord's Taverners is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity. Its charitable objective is to empower and positively impact the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality.'.
It was founded in 1950 by a group ...
in the UK and the following organisations in South Africa; Wildlands Conservation Trust, Twilight Children and Bana Development Centre.
Golf course design
The Player Design firm have executed over 400 projects in 41 countries on five continents, including courses such as the Gary Player Country Club, Leopard Creek, Thracian Cliffs, Wentworth and The Links at Fancourt.The company offers three different design brands: Gary Player Design, Player Design, and Black Knight Design.
With golf accepted back into the
2016 Summer Olympics in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
, Gary Player Design was selected among the finalists of an official RFP in early December 2011.
Nelson Mandela Invitational
Player hosted the
Nelson Mandela Invitational
The Nelson Mandela Invitational was a charity golf tournament which took place annually in South Africa from 2000 until 2006. It was named in honor of former South African President Nelson Mandela, and hosted by South Africa's most successful prof ...
golf tournament staged by Black Knight International from 2000. In October 2007, media attention arose about his involvement in the 2002 design of a golf course in
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and as a result, the
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF) is a charitable organisation founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22.[Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...]
and Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbish ...
accepted Player's position and statements on Burma. Player refused to withdraw as he and his son Marc personally built the golf event from scratch and issued a statement rebutting these claims via his website. The event continued to be staged annually at the Sun City Resort as the
Gary Player Invitational until 2013.
Views
Views on apartheid
In 1966, Player espoused support for the
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
policies of
Hendrik Verwoerd
Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd (; 8 September 1901 – 6 September 1966) was a South African politician, a scholar of applied psychology and sociology, and chief editor of ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper. He is commonly regarded as the architect ...
in his book ''Grand Slam Golf'', stating: "I must say now, and clearly, that I am of the South Africa of Verwoerd and apartheid ... a nation which ... is the product of its instinct and ability to maintain civilised values and standards amongst the alien barbarians. The African may well believe in witchcraft and primitive magic, practise ritual murder and polygamy; his wealth is in cattle". Activists publicly demonstrated against Player's espousal of apartheid, including protesting against Player at the
1969 PGA Championship. Australian activists also strongly protested against Player. In 1971 there were several threats to protest against Player at tournaments though they never came to fruition. Years later, in October 1974, Australian activists screamed at Player, "Go home racist", as he was lining up a putt on the 72nd hole in a tournament he had a chance to win.
However, in a 1987 interview with ''
The Los Angeles Times
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...
'', Player disavowed the system of apartheid, stating, "We have a terrible system in apartheid...it's almost a cancerous disease. I'm happy to say it's being eliminated....we've got to get rid of this apartheid." In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Player discussed his early support for apartheid stating that the South African Government had "pulled the wool over our eyes" and that the people were "brainwashed" into supporting these policies.
Other views
In July 2007, Player made statements at
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...
golf tournament about the use of
performance-enhancing drugs in golf. He alleged that at least ten players were "taking something", citing
human growth hormone,
steroids
A steroid is a biologically active organic compound with four rings arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes that alter membrane fluidity; and ...
and
creatine as possible substances. Both the
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...
and
European Tour were in the process of introducing random testing programmes at the time.
In June 2016, in an interview with bunkered.co.uk, Player branded as 'laughable' a report released by The R&A and USGA which said that driving distance in golf was only increasing minimally. He warned of a 'tsunami coming' due to the governing bodies' failure to address issues surrounding new golf technology. After the 2017
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is one of the richest golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is played in September, on three different links courses, centred on the "home of golf", St Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
The tournament is a pr ...
, Player reiterated these comments, taking to Twitter to say he was 'sad' to see the
Old Course at St Andrews
The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course.
It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under ...
'brought to her knees' after
Ross Fisher
Ross Daniel Fisher (born 22 November 1980) is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, where he has won five times, including the 2009 Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Spain.
Early life
F ...
broke the course record on a day of very low scoring during the final round.
Distinctions and honours
*On 8 June 1961, Player was the guest on
NBC's ''
The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford''. In a comedy skit, he gives
Tennessee Ernie Ford a golf lesson.
*Received the 1966
Bob Jones Award from the
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...
.
*Named Honorary Member of
the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1994.
*Received Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
in 1995.
*Received Honorary Doctor of Science from the
University of Ulster
sco, Ulstèr Universitie
, image = Ulster University coat of arms.png
, caption =
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng =
, latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae
, established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
in 1997
*The
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational trophy is named the Gary Player Cup.
*Named Honorary Member of
Carnoustie in 1999
*Received Honorary Doctorate in Law, University of Dundee, Scotland in 1999
*South African Sportsman of the Century award in 2000
*Received the 2003 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the
Laureus World Sports Awards in
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino i ...
.
*Awarded the
Order of Ikhamanga
The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African honour. It was instituted on 30 November 2003 and is granted by the President of South Africa for achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports (which were initially recognised b ...
(in gold for exceptional achievement) in 2003 by
President Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC) ...
of South Africa for excellence in golf and contribution to non-racial sport in South Africa.
*He was the world's first golfer to be featured on any country's postal stamp in South Africa.
*Has designed over 400 golf courses on six continents around the world.
*He currently plays on the U.S.
Champions Tour
PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour.
History and format
The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many year ...
and European Seniors Tour occasionally.
*He received the 2006
Payne Stewart Award from the PGA Tour.
*Played in his 52nd Masters Tournament at Augusta National in April 2009, extending his record of for most Masters appearances
*Inducted into the African American Sports Hall of Fame in May 2007, with Lifetime Achievement Award
*Has played in a record 46 consecutive British Open Championships, winning 3 times over 3 decades.
*Stars with
Camilo Villegas
Camilo Villegas (; born 7 January 1982) is a Colombian professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour.
Early years
Villegas was born in Medellín, Colombia, and took up golf as a child. After several different National Junior Championships in ...
in a
MasterCard "priceless foursome" television commercial launched during the U.S. Open in June 2009
*In November 2009 he was awarded the inaugural Breeders Cup "Sports and Racing Excellence Award" at Santa Anita Park in California which honours owners and breeders of thoroughbred race horses.
*Was inducted into the Asian Pacific Golf Hall of Fame with Jack Nicklaus in 2011 at a ceremony in Pattaya, Thailand.
*In December 2011, Gary Player Design was selected amongst the finalists to design the golf course for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
*He received the
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award at The Players Championship in May 2012. The first international person to receive this accolade.
*Received the 2020
GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
*Received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...
on 7 January 2021 from then President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of ...
.
Professional wins (160)
PGA Tour wins (24)
PGA Tour playoff record (3–10)
European Tour wins (4)
European Tour playoff record (0–2)
Southern Africa wins (60)
Note: Many of these wins were part of a formal ''South Africa Tour'' or ''Sunshine Circuit'' (now
Sunshine Tour).
* 1955 East Rand Open
* 1956 East Rand Open,
South African Open
* 1957
Western Province Open
* 1958
Natal Open
* 1959 East Rand Open, Natal Open,
South African Professional Match Play Championship
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
,
Transvaal Open The Transvaal Open was a golf tournament in South Africa. In later years it was a fixture on the South African Sunshine Circuit.
Winners
* 1911 Laurie Waters
* 1912 ''No tournament''
* 1913 Jock Brews
* 1914–18 ''No tournament''
* 1919 Laurie W ...
* 1960 Natal Open,
South African Masters, Transvaal Open, Western Province Open, South African Open
* 1961 Transvaal Open (Dec.)
* 1962 Natal Open, Transvaal Open
* 1963 Liquid Air Tournament, Richelieu Grand Prix (Cape Town), Richelieu Grand Prix (Johannesburg), Sponsored 5000
* 1964 South African Masters
* 1965 South African Open
* 1966 Natal Open, Transvaal Open, South African Open
* 1967 South African Masters, South African Open
* 1968 Natal Open, Western Province Open, South African Open
* 1969
South African PGA Championship, South African Open
* 1971
General Motors Open
The General Motors Open was a golf tournament on the Southern Africa Tour from 1966 to 1975. The event was held at Wedgewood Golf Club in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Gary Player won the event four times. It was also the site of Peter Oosterhui ...
,
South African Masters, Western Province Open
* 1972 South African Masters (Jan.), South African Masters (Dec.), Western Province Open, South African Open
* 1974 General Motors Open (Feb.), South African Masters, General Motors Open (Nov.), Rand International Open,
* 1975 General Motors Open, South African Open
* 1976 South African Masters (Feb.), South African Masters (Nov.), South African Open
* 1977
ICL International, South African Open
* 1979 South African PGA Championship, South African Masters, South African Open, Sun City Classic
* 1981 South African Open
* 1982 South African PGA Championship
* 1986 Nissan Skins Game
* 1988 Nissan Skins Game
* 1991 Nissan Skins Game
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (2)
PGA Tour of Australasia playoff record (0–1)
Safari Circuit wins (1)
South American Golf Circuit wins (1)
Other European wins (10)
Sources:
Japan wins (2)
Other Australasian wins (17)
Sources:
Other South American wins (2)
Other wins (11)
*1955 Egyptian Matchplay
*1965
World Series of Golf, NTL Challenge Cup (Canada),
World Cup of Golf,
World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy
*1968
World Series of Golf
*1972
World Series of Golf
*1977
World Cup of Golf Individual Trophy
*1979
PGA Grand Slam of Golf (shared title with
Andy North)
*1983
Skins Game
*1986
Fred Meyer Challenge (with
Greg Norman
Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournamen ...
- team shared title with
Peter Jacobsen and
Curtis Strange)
Senior PGA Tour wins (22)
''*Note: The 1989 GTE North Classic was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.''
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (5–2)
European Senior Tour wins (3)
European Senior Tour playoff record (1–0)
Other senior wins (6)
*1987
Northville Invitational (United States), German PGA Team Championship
*1997 Dai-ichi Seimei Cup (Japan)
*2000
Senior Skins Game (U.S. – unofficial event)
*2009
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
The Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar is a golf tournament in Missouri on the PGA Tour Champions. Since 2014, it has been played at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale on the par-3 Top of the Rock course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and the 18 ...
– Demaret Division (with
Bob Charles)
*2010
Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf
The Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar is a golf tournament in Missouri on the PGA Tour Champions. Since 2014, it has been played at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale on the par-3 Top of the Rock course, designed by Jack Nicklaus and the 18 ...
– Demaret Division (with
Bob Charles)
*The
Senior British Open was retroactively recognised by the PGA Tour Champions as a senior major in 2018.
Major championships
Wins (9)
1Defeated Nagle in 18-hole playoff; Player 71 (+1), Nagle 74 (+4).
Results timeline
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1970, 1980, 1981 and 1985 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Summary
*Most consecutive cuts made – 37 (1970 PGA – 1980 Masters)
*Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (1962 PGA – 1964 Masters)
Results in The Players Championship
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Senior major championships
Wins (9)
1Defeated Charles in 18-hole playoff; Player (68), Charles (70).
2Defeated Bland with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
Results timeline
1The Senior Open Championship was not a Champions Tour major until 2003, though it was on the European Seniors Tour. Player won the event three times prior to this recognition.
CUT = Missed the half-way cut
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
"T" = tied
Team appearances
*World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
(representing South Africa): 1956, 1957
1957 (Roman numerals, MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday, common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, t ...
, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wo ...
, 1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...
, 1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
, 1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
(winners, individual winner), 1966, 1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...
, 1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...
, 1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
, 1972, 1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
, 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...
(individual winner)
*Slazenger Trophy
The Slazenger Trophy was a men's professional team golf competition; one team representing Great Britain and Ireland, the other team representing the British Commonwealth and Empire. It was played just once, in 1956.
Format
The cup was contested o ...
(representing British Commonwealth and Empire): 1956
*Chrysler Cup
Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
(representing the International team): 1986 (captain), 1987 (captain, winners), 1988 (captain), 1989 (captain), 1990 (captain), 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 (winners)
* Dunhill Cup (representing South Africa): 1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...
* Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Southern Africa): 1995 (non-playing captain, winners)
* UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001 (captain), 2002 (captain), 2004 (captain)
*Insperity Invitational – Greats of Golf: 2012 (winners), 2014 (winners), 2015 (winners), 2017 (winners)
See also
* Career Grand Slam champions
*
* List of golfers with most Champions Tour wins
* List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
*List of longest PGA Tour win streaks
The following represents the golfers who have won at least three consecutive starts in PGA Tour events. The list relates to consecutive events that they played in; they generally missed some PGA Tour events during their streak. In some cases the ...
* List of men's major championships winning golfers
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Gary Player
Profile at Golf Legends
Gary Player Golf Course Design
Gary Player Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Player, Gary
South African male golfers
Sunshine Tour golfers
PGA Tour golfers
PGA Tour Champions golfers
Winners of men's major golf championships
Men's Career Grand Slam champion golfers
Winners of senior major golf championships
World Golf Hall of Fame inductees
Golf course architects
Golf writers and broadcasters
Laureus World Sports Awards winners
Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners
Alumni of King Edward VII School (Johannesburg)
White South African people
South African people of British descent
Golfers from Johannesburg
People from Pixley ka Seme District Municipality
People from Jupiter Island, Florida
1935 births
Living people